About the Presenter:
Dr. Sunil Sharma is the physician-in-chief at Translational Genomics (TGen), in addition to being TGen’s deputy director of clinical sciences, and professor and director of the Division of Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery. He is also a professor of medicine at City of Hope, one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. His interest is conducting drug discovery and translational research on novel therapies for cancer. Currently, his drug discovery program’s main focus is centered on epigenetic and immune pathways. His laboratory has developed a reversible Lysine specific demethylase-1 inhibitor Seclidemstat (SP2577). This inhibitor is a clinical-stage compound undergoing clinical trials in Ewing’s sarcoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. He also developed inhibitors of Wnt (beta- catenin) pathway. The lead compound, Tegavivint (BC2059), is undergoing clinical trials in desmoid tumors and Wnt- activated solid tumors. The Sharma laboratory has recently developed potent activators of innate immunity (ENPP1 antagonists) with the hope that these could be utilized to target cancer as well as viral diseases. At TGen and City of Hope, he teams with scientists from various disciplines to advance drug development in related areas.
His clinical interests are focused on treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancers: colon, pancreatic, esophageal, gallbladder, liver, stomach, small intestine, bowel, rectum, and anus; adrenocortical carcinoma; mesothelioma; and rare tumors (carcinoid, neuroendocrine tumors, and carcinomas of unknown primarys). At HonorHealth, he collaborates with oncologists, physicians, and researchers to develop novel therapies for colon cancers and help to further strengthen the early phase clinical research.
Dr. Sharma earned his medical degree at the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India, and completed his Medical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. He also holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
He previously served as deputy director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, to establish and implement strategic priorities. He was the co-leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program to coordinate development of new therapeutics, including image-guided and targeted drug delivery systems. He was also the director of the Center for Investigational Therapeutics, and an investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute. His research program focused on development of chemical inhibitors of identified targets, preparation of investigation pharmaceuticals from promising chemical inhibitors, and development of these drugs for Phase I clinical trials. He has extensive experience in drug development, including over 200 clinical trials.
Dr. Sharma is an international expert on novel agents for translational and early clinical research.
For questions or accommodations that may be necessary, please contact the Office of the Chair, Department of Medicine, 520-626-6349.
Event Location:
University of Arizona Cancer Center, Kiewit Auditorium
1515 N. Campbell Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719
hem-onc_special_lecture_flyer_2023-06-13_1.pdf